


Fire In My Heart

by Rawrgoesthedinosaur2015



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Eddie Diaz needs some love, F/M, Family, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, Love, Natural Disasters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-19 01:40:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29618628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rawrgoesthedinosaur2015/pseuds/Rawrgoesthedinosaur2015
Summary: There was one thing in the world that Olivia knew without a doubt, she loved Eddie Diaz and his son with everything she was.
Relationships: Athena Grant/Bobby Nash, Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)/Original Character(s), Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	1. Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm not entirely sure where this is going, but it's been in my head for a few weeks and I decided that I needed to see where it was going to go.

_Bombs exploded and bullets flew as Olivia dashed across the opening to the compound, taking a few seconds to steady her breathing. Crouched down, she peered around the side of the building and laid down cover fire to allow the rest of her team to change position. This was her last mission and after dedicating five years of her life to her country, she just wanted to go home._

_“Kill this son of a bitch and we can go home,” her captain said as he joined her, tapping her on the shoulder to signal that she could move, “Let’s keep moving.”_

_She had just reached the door to the main building, when there was an explosion and she was sent flying backward. The air was knocked from her lungs as she hit the ground hard, momentarily dazed and tensing slightly as someone dragged her out of the open._

Pulled from her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder, Olivia looked over at her captain and quickly realized that their plane had landed. The airport was buzzing with activity as the soldiers weaved their way towards the exit with their bags, smiling at the people that thanked them for their service and simultaneously scanning the crowd for whoever had come to meet them. 

It didn’t take long for her to spot Bobby Nash standing with a grin on his face, holding a sign that read ‘Welcome Home, Kid’ and she instinctively ran to him. 

“It’s really good to have you home, kid,” Bobby mumbled, dropping the sign and folding her into a tight hug. 

“It’s good to be here,” Olivia replied as she pulled back, wiping away a few stray tears and chuckling, “I said I wouldn’t cry.” 

“Well, I assure you there are a lot more tears to come... you ready to go?” 

“I’ve been ready since I stepped on the plane.” 

Sat in the passenger seat of Bobby’s truck a little while later, she watched as he fiddled with the radio and turned her attention to the familiar scenery that passed outside the window. They soon pulled up outside the Grant-Nash residence and Olivia climbed out and looked at all the cars parked outside. She was excited to see everyone, but that excitement was tainted with nerves and she took a deep breath in an attempt to steady herself. 

“Just in time,” Athena commented, pausing as they joined her and pulling Olivia into a hug. 

Eddie was the first person to see her as they stepped out into the backyard, handing the glass he’d been holding to Buck and rushing forward. She instantly melted into her boyfriend’s warmth, twisting her fingers into the back of his t-shirt and only pulling away when Christopher called her name. A smile spread across her face and she knelt down as the young boy made his way to her, hugging him. 

“You came,” he said with a smile that lit up his eyes. 

“I promised that I would do everything in my power to be here,” Olivia replied gently, referring to a conversation they’d had over Skype the month prior, “I have a present for you... happy birthday buddy.” 

From her pocket, Olivia withdrew a small box and handed it to him. She watched him closely as he opened it with the help of his dad and heard him gasp, glancing over at Eddie who was staring at the dog tags that were nestled inside. 

“Liv?” Eddie stated, retrieving the tags and placing them over Christopher’s head, “You... the only reason you said that you would ever gift your tags was if you weren’t going back.” 

“I’m not going back,” Olivia confirmed, straightening the tags with a smile and pushing herself to her feet, “I’m out, Eddie... for good.” 

Tears filled Eddie’s eyes and she waited, cupping his cheeks as he kissed her. The sound of someone clearing their throat quickly reminded her that they weren’t alone and she momentarily rested her forehead against his, before turning to greet the rest of the people she knew. 

She was stood talking to Maddie, when a brunette-haired woman walked in and Olivia looked down as Christopher leaned into her side. He refused to move, even as the newcomer crouched in front of him with a present, and the looks on the faces of the people that surrounded them gave her a clue to who she was. Christopher’s mother.


	2. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Olivia tells Eddie about her nightmares.

Olivia had missed so much since being away overseas, including the reappearance of Eddie’s estranged wife and she wasn’t entirely sure what her next move should be. Luckily, Eddie made his way over and stood next to her with his hand on the small of her back. 

“We had an agreement, Shannon,” Eddie said, “We agreed that we’d do things at Christopher’s pace.” 

“I just wanted to give _my_ son a birthday present,” Shannon argued with a glare, “You invited me, Eddie.” 

“Babe, why don’t you take Chris to get something to eat?” Eddie suggested as he shifted his attention to Olivia, earning a nod and kissing the side of her head. 

“Come on, buddy, let’s go get some food,” Olivia said to Christopher as he looked up at her. 

She led him inside where a table of food had been set up and filled a couple of plates, before moving to sit on the sofa. Eddie soon joined them and, despite the smile on his face, Olivia could tell that he was angry. 

It was late by the time everyone started leaving and with Christopher half asleep in her arms, Olivia said her goodbyes. Settled in the passenger seat, she smiled as she caught a glimpse of Christopher’s sleeping form in the rearview mirror and looked over at Eddie as he entwined his fingers with hers. 

*** 

Laid in bed later that night, Olivia stared at the ceiling and listened to Eddie’s steady breathing. She was used to the nightmares by now, nightmares that didn’t fade and imprinted their images into her mind. With the knowledge that sleep wouldn’t come, she carefully slipped from the room and went to the kitchen to make herself some coffee. 

After coming home from deployment, she found that she was always nervous about how she would adapt to being back in civilian life and how others would react to seeing her. The initial high from finally being home was amazing, but there was still that residual stress that carried over from a warzone and that was something she struggled to shift. 

“Babe?” came Eddie’s sleep-filled voice from behind her as she waited for the kettle to boil. 

“I didn’t mean to wake you...” 

“You didn’t,” Eddie assured her, walking over to where she was standing and wrapping his arms around her from behind, “Nightmares?” 

“You know the drill.” 

There was a silence that fell over them and Olivia poured them both a cup of coffee, moving to sit on the sofa. She cradled her cup between her hands, staring at the steam that rose from the liquid, and looked up as Eddie spoke. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

“The last mission I was on didn’t exactly go to plan,” Olivia mumbled as if she had no control over her mouth, “You know that I can’t go into detail, but there was an explosion and I was thrown back... I should have died. Bullets were flying everywhere and I could see enemy soldiers closing in on me, then I was being dragged behind cover.” 

They spoke for nearly an hour, before the exhaustion became too much and Olivia reluctantly climbed back into bed. Wrapped in the safety of Eddie’s arms, she focused on his warmth and allowed the darkness to pull her under. She woke up the next morning to find herself alone and padded barefoot to the kitchen, where Christopher was laughing as Eddie attempted to flip pancakes. 

“Liv,” Christopher stated excitedly, smiling as she placed a kiss on his head and took a seat beside him at the table. 

“Morning bud.” 

There were a lot of things that Olivia loved about her life, but these boys and the family they’d given her were definitely at the top of her list. They were the thing that she fought to get back to every day, the thing that kept her going on days when she just wanted to give up and now, she would do everything it took to be their sanctuary when things got hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thinking about maybe adding in a few chapters throughout the story that are written from Eddie's POV, just o add in his thought and feelings. Not sure yet though.
> 
> Thanks for reading ♥


	3. New Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Olivia is ready to start a new chapter with two of her favorite boys.

Breakfast was nice and Olivia couldn’t help the smile that remained permanently in place, agreeing when Eddie suggested taking Christopher to the zoo for a day out. They soon hit the road and she settled back into her seat, her hand resting on Eddie’s thigh as he navigated the Los Angeles traffic. 

Sat at a picnic bench a few hours later eating lunch, Olivia listened as Christopher listed the animals that he still wanted to see and noticing that Eddie seemed to be far away in his own mind. With a smile as they made their way towards the sea lion enclosure, Olivia entwined their fingers and gave his hand a squeeze. 

“Penny for your thoughts,” she said as he looked at her, “Everything okay?” 

“Yeah, I was just thinking about something that Chris said while you were still sleeping,” Eddie replied, “He asked, if we were a family, why you don’t live with us and added on that saying goodbye made him really sad.” 

“What did you say?” Olivia added, not sure how to respond and focusing on Christopher as tears formed in her eyes. 

“I told him that I felt the same,” Eddie admitted with a shrug, “We’ve been together nearly two years and I’ve spent more time saying goodbye, whether it’s been for deployment or just you heading home to your apartment. I don’t want to say goodbye like that anymore, Liv, so I was thinking... why don’t you move in with us?” 

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be, but have you spoken to Chris about it?” 

“We had a discussion and he was really excited about the prospect of you living with us permanently.” 

“Okay then.” 

With a grin, Eddie wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her head as they caught up with Christopher. The rest of the day flew by and they ended the night with ice cream, before heading home. 

*** 

Over the next few weeks, Olivia officially moved into the Diaz house and got things in her own life straightened out. Sat at the kitchen table, she finished eating the waffles that she’d made them for breakfast and went to answer the door as someone knocked. 

“Oh... hi,” Shannon greeted from her spot on the doorstep, “I’m looking for Eddie.” 

“Babe,” Olivia called, “Door.” 

“Who is it?” Eddie inquired as he joined her, freezing momentarily and clearing his throat as he continued, “Can you give Chris a hand getting ready for school?” 

“Of course.” 

With a smile, she squeezed his arm and made her way to Christopher’s room. Raised voices had her closing the door, but she knew that Christopher had already heard them and distracted him as much as possible. 

“This isn’t about me and you, Shannon, this is about what’s best for our son,” Eddie was saying as Olivia re-joined him. 

“How about replacing me with your newest endeavor, is that what’s best for him?” Shannon argued. 

“That’s not what’s happening here,” Olivia stated, hurt by the accusation, “Yes, I’m here and I treat Christopher as if he were my own, but that doesn’t change the fact that you are his mother.” 

“When I’m allowed to be.” 

“You left, you walked away and didn’t look back. What did you think would happen?” Eddie asked. 

“I didn’t expect to have to fight to be let back in, please Eddie, just let me take him to school.” 

“Liv takes me to school today,” came Chris’s voice from behind them, drawing everyone’s attention to him and Olivia could immediately see the tears in his eyes as he looked at her, “You are taking me to school, aren’t you?” 

“Of course I am, then a movie and ice cream while your dad is at work just like I promised,” Olivia added with a smile, glancing over at Shannon and making a decision, “How about we let your mom come along for a ride?” 

“Can I still sit up front with you?” 

“Nothing will change, except for the fact that we’ll have an audience member for our carpool karaoke... it’s The Lion King today remember.” 

“Okay,” Christopher mumbled reluctantly. 

Olivia smiled, looking over at Eddie and noticing the warm smile on his face as he gave her a nod in agreement. She knew that he was still angry at Shannon for everything and he had every right to be, but Olivia refused to let him hold onto it because that wasn’t who Eddie Diaz was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't decided whether Shannon will be sticking around yet, but I will see where my thoughts take me as I write. Enjoy ♥


	4. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Olivia figures out Shannon's secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if I'm going to keep on with parts from Eddie's POV, but I'll see.

As promised, nothing changed during the journey to school and Christopher went in with a huge smile on his face. Not having anything else to do, Olivia agreed to get coffee and drove them over to a coffee shop near the house. 

“Christopher and Eddie seem happy,” Shannon stated, breaking the silence that had settled over them and continuing, “You all do.” 

“We are,” Olivia replied, recognizing the look on Shannon’s face and hoping that she was wrong, “Can I ask you a question?” 

“Of course.” 

“You have no intention of sticking around, do you?” 

“I fly back to Chicago tomorrow,” Shannon admitted, “I just needed to see him... spend some time with him.” 

“How...” Olivia began, falling silent and shaking her head in disbelief, “He deserves better than that.” 

“I don’t expect you to understand, but I would be grateful if you could pass on these letters for me.” 

Unable to find the words, Olivia snatched the envelopes from her hand and left without another glance. By the time she’d run the errands she needed to, it was time to pick Christopher up and she made her way over to the school. 

“Hey cutie pie,” Olivia stated as Christopher reached her, ruffling his hair and leading him to the car, “How about we grab a treat on the way home?” 

“Can we go to Ashby’s?” 

“Oh, someone wants cookies.” 

With a giggle, Christopher nodded and Olivia hit the road with a grin. 

*** 

They were just walking back to their table from the toilets, when the sound of shouting caught Olivia’s attention and she looked over just as the bus crashed into the front of the store. Instincts kicked in immediately and she grabbed Christopher, shielding him from the debris. 

Dust surrounded them and Olivia coughed, groaning as she pushed herself into a sitting position. There was no doubt that she’d blacked out, but she couldn’t worry about that and shifted her attention to Christopher. 

“Liv...” Christopher mumbled from where he sat on the floor with tears streaming down his face. 

“Are you okay?” Olivia inquired, moving over to him and checking him over. 

“I’m scared.” 

“I know... me too, but we’re going to be okay.” 

Satisfied that the wounds on Christopher’s face were superficial, Olivia took a look around and quickly realized that they were trapped. 

*** 

Sat at the table with the crew, Eddie checked his phone and frowned when he found no waiting notifications. It wasn’t unusual for Olivia not to message him whilst on shift, but he’d expected something from her about the ride to school and he’d heard absolutely nothing. 

“Everything okay?” Bobby asked. 

“Yeah,” Eddie replied as the alarm sounded, causing them all to jump up and head down to the truck. 

“Okay, we have a bus that’s crashed into the front of a coffee shop,” Bobby explained, “Multiple injuries and an unknown number of people trapped by debris within the building.” 

It didn’t take them long to get to the scene and Eddie was ready to work, until he saw what coffee shop the bus had crashed into. Fear stirred in his chest and he swallowed past the lump that had formed in his throat, following Bobby over to the captain of the fire crew already on scene.


	5. Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie realizes that there's a chance Olivia and Chris are trapped under the rubble.

Christopher coughing pulled Olivia from her thoughts and she grabbed her jumper, tying it over his mouth like a mask. The sound of the bus ripping through the building and the heat reminded her of the war, but now wasn’t the time for her to be thinking about that. 

She knew that getting out of the space was next to impossible, but she couldn’t just sit around and wait for the inevitable to happen. With a deep breath, she took a look around and methodically began to remove pieces of debris that were separating them from the bus. 

*** 

Eddie had just walked out another patient, when he spotted the car, and dread washed over him like a wave. He knew that Olivia often took Christopher out for a treat after school (he loved the quality time with her), but the chosen place changed and Eddie couldn’t recall either of them mentioning Ashby’s. 

“Eddie,” came Buck’s voice from behind him, dragging his attention away from the car and over to where his best friend stood watching him, “Are you okay?” 

“I... Olivia’s car is parked up across the street,” Eddie replied, making his way over to the lady he’d just helped, “Ma’am, did you happen to see a woman in the coffee house with a young boy?” 

“Yes, I did,” the lady told him, “I don’t normally pay much attention to the other customers, but the two of them were giggling away and the little boy had the sweetest smile... warmed my heart to see.” 

“Eddie...” Buck said again. 

“What’s going on?” Bobby asked as he approached them. 

“We think that Olivia and Chris might be inside,” Buck answered. 

“I need to be there,” Eddie said, knowing what Bobby was about to say and slamming the walls up to keep his emotions in check, “I can do my job, cap... I **need** to be there.” 

“Okay, but any sign that it’s affecting your decision making and I’m pulling you out.” 

Eddie’s anxiety grew with every piece of debris they removed and although the slow progress was driving him insane, he knew that they had to be extremely careful. It took them nearly an hour to reach the bus driver and despite his desperation, Eddie wouldn’t just by-pass someone in need. 

The driver’s injuries were extensive, he had major crush injuries to his legs and a gash on his head. Eddie knew, just from looking at it, that the gash wasn’t life-threatening and their biggest concern was going to be the man’s legs. 

Extraction took longer than expected, but finally, they managed to get him free and on his way to the hospital. 

“How are we doing on numbers, cap?” Chim asked as they got ready to head back in. 

“From the information that the barista gave there were ten customers in all,” Bobby explained, “Six are already accounted for, two were dead on arrival and four were taken to the hospital with serious injuries.” 

“That means we have four more people trapped,” Hen added, “Probably in the back of the coffee house...” 

“Underneath the rubble that is probably holding the structure steady.”


	6. One Down, One To Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a little flashback from Olivia's time overseas, plus Christopher is safe.

The first shift Olivia felt was tiny and she thought that maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her, until a large piece of concrete fell; sending her scrambling back. They had already been trapped for nearly an hour and despite knowing that there would be people looking for them, she couldn’t help losing a little hope as the minutes ticked by. 

Sat with Christopher on her lap, she ran her fingers through his hair and kissed his head as he cuddled into her. Distant banging could be heard and sporadic clouds of dust were falling from the debris, causing Olivia’s mind to drift. 

_‘The sound of gunfire had been their soundtrack for most of the day, starting out far off and slowly getting closer. She had been briefed with her squad that morning and they had expected heavy resistance around the target compound, but there had been none._

_“Either, we got really lucky or they knew we were coming,” Patterson said from where he was perched, scanning the area to the west of their position and shifting as something clearly caught his attention._

_“What is it?” Olivia inquired, but her question was answered a few moments later but an explosion, “I’d go with your second theory.”_

_Hidden away in one of the many abandoned buildings, Olivia radioed for air support and flinched as another explosion sent debris flying all around them...’_

Olivia was snapped from her thoughts by the sound of someone shouting her name, although muffled, she knew that it was Eddie and tried her hardest to fight back the tears that were threatening to fall. It felt like forever, but, finally, enough of the debris was cleared for Christopher to get out and that lifted a lot of fear from her shoulders. 

“I don’t want to leave you,” Christopher mumbled, eyes full of tears and voice thick with emotion. 

“I’ll be right behind you, they just need to make a little bit more space for me,” Olivia promised as she knelt in front of him with a smile, “Besides... someone needs to look after your dad and the 118 while the other’s work.” 

After a little more convincing, Christopher slowly made his way through the gap and Olivia felt as though she was able to breathe again. 

*** 

Eddie didn’t want to stop searching, but he knew that refusal to follow instructions would only get him taken off of the search team and that wasn’t an option. He was sat with Buck resting, when he heard that they’d broken through to the area in front of the bus and had just reached the crew as Christopher emerged. 

“Chris,” Eddie shouted, clambering over pieces of debris and taking Christopher from the rescue crew member. 

“Daddy,” Christopher replied as tears rolled down his cheeks. 

“Are you okay?” Eddie asked, carrying his son to the waiting ambulance and sitting him on the back step so that the paramedic could check him over, “Are you hurt?” 

“No, Olivia protected me.” 

“Of course she did.” 

Although relieved that his little boy was with him and safe, Eddie wouldn’t be fully okay until Olivia was there as well. After Shannon, he had sworn that marriage wasn’t something that he’d do again, but then Olivia had walked into their lives and she’d reignited something within him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, comments and kudos are always appreciated. Let me know what you think ♥


End file.
